Men of Steel head to ‘the land’
14 NOV 2019
Steelers @ Browns
It’s time for the second half of the season to get wild & there’s nothing better than an AFC North divisional matchup to kick off week 11! The 5-4 Steelers have been red hot and they head to Cleveland this week to take on the atrocious 3-6 Browns. Both the Browns & Steelers are coming off home victories. This week? a pivotal divisional matchup against one another. Here’s what you need to know for Thursday Night’s game.
Offenses
This game is going to be very time-consuming! I’m talking about time of possession & how this is going to play a key factor down the stretch. The Browns primary form of attack is the ground game & quite frankly this one-dimensional offense is going to rely on their new 1-2 punch in Kareem Hunt & Nick Chubb. Chubb is one of two running backs this season to have a 100+ rush YPG (102.1). So sure, the Browns have their rushing attack, but the Steelers have their own stud back. Sophomore season quarterback, Mason Rudolph is going to get a lot of help offensively as running back, James Conner is expected to return to the starting lineup for the first time since week 8. Here’s a statistical breakdown of the two offenses.
Browns vs. Steelers OFF
Clearly the Browns offense outdoes the Steelers when it comes down to the stats. Bear with me here as I’m going against what the stats say for this matchup (on some level). Although the Browns offense has more talent than the Steelers offense across the board, this game is going to come down to another key matchup. Game-changing to be exact.
Consistency
The Browns biggest concern in this game is their mediocre offense against the Steelers stout defense. I use the term mediocre with good reason. The numbers displayed in the previous bar graph look great… compared to the Steelers offense. Their defense? That’s another story. The Browns offense is ranked 18th in the league when it comes to total YPG. Not the best matchup against a Steeler defense allowing the 12th fewest YPG to opposing offenses. The main reason for such a big shift in the Steeler defense? Minkah Fitzpatrick. The former first-round pick drafted by the Miami Dolphins got shopped to Pittsburgh in exchange for a 2020 first-round draft pick. Here’s how big of a difference the sophomore year stud has made in this secondary.
Minkah Fitzpatrick’s 5 interceptions this season (all since Week 3) is tied for the most in the league. When it comes down to below average offenses against top-tier defenses it’s almost always going to be the defenses game to steal. I see that happening in First Energy stadium Thursday night. To put the cherry on top of this game pick, the Steelers defense is ranked #2 in the league when it comes to forcing turnovers (ranked only behind the Patriots). Again! Not the most ideal matchup for Browns’ Baker Mayfield who has the second worst passer rating (75.2) in the league. The only starting QB who has a worse passer rating? His draft classmate Sam Darnold (74.5). With the Browns last victory against Pittsburgh dating back to 2014 & the Steelers perfect 4-0 record since their week 6 loss to Baltimore, I don’t see the Browns pulling off a much-needed home upset. Cleveland has lost to teams like the Broncos yet found a way to get it done last week against the Bills. That inconsistency will not bode well against a consistent ‘hit you in the mouth’ Steeler defense.
